Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched in September this year and brought loads of improvements from its predecessor. It is still pretty fresh a device but the smartphone arena is so dynamic that already we have rumors about the successor - Galaxy Z Fold 3 making rounds.
South Korean tech giant is an undisputed market leader in foldable phones. It has a decent portfolio that is keeping the concept of foldable phones alive and kicking. These smartphones have come of age since being a niche product a year back when the Galaxy Fold – the first foldable phone from Samsung made debut. And now 2021 seems to be the year of foldable phones, with Samsung proposing to grow its portfolio considerably while making it more accessible to everyone.
Kicking off as a Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinoff way back in 1992, Boston Dynamics founded by Marc Raibert, professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, has come a long way ever since. Google bought the company in 2013 as a part of its X research and development wing. Then later sold it to Softbank in 2017 for an undisclosed amount.
We have come a long way from completely banishing the concept of smartwatches to accepting them humbly as a secondary device for quick access to apps, notifications, fitness metrics, and health reminders. Some still debate the value of a smartwatch, but a few lifesaving stories have pretty much set these devices into the health-centric league - a trend set in motion by Apple and now followed by every other manufacturer most unfailingly.
Samsung is arguably leading the way with its foldable smartphones globally. In China it’s a different story – a different name. Huawei? No, it’s Royole we are referring to. Royole hit the center stage with the launch of FlexPai – the first commercial foldable smartphone launched months before Samsung’s maiden attempt went official. It wouldn’t be fair to say FlexPai was a success, just like Samsung’s fiasco device – the Galaxy Fold, it had endless complaints too. Samsung however sprung back well with the Galaxy Z Fold2 and Royole intends to do so with the FlexPai 2.
At the virtual Snapdragon Tech Summit 2020 came the expected announcement of Qualcomm’s best chipset that’ll set the benchmark for phones in 2021. The Snapdragon 888 Mobile Platform is loaded with immense firepower and an AI brain that lets it do more than just data processing. Along with the remarkable CPU and GPU performance, the 5nm architecture-based chipset opens up new avenues and hardware advancements for phone manufacturer’s to leverage.
Smartphones have become an integral part of our life – no doubt they sell like hotcakes and virtually every other week a new phone is released in the market. While smartphones can be crazy pricey on one end of the spectrum, the options for entry-level buyers are also quite broad. The segment is important for all major manufacturers and the prospects of gaining the trust of buyers who want the bare basics from their device are quite high.
Apple iPad turf is overly saturated. If you are in the market for an iPad this holiday season, there are a few options you can instantly close on. For a certain set of users, there is the A12Z Bionic chip-powered 2020 iPad Pro. Then is the recently introduced iPad Air that dishes out ruthless performance and is high on substance. For the budgeted buyer, the fifth-generation iPad Mini is a suggested option. To add to choices, Apple is already working on the next edition of the iPad Pro with improved display, power, and 5G connectivity, and it is slated for an early 2021 release.
If you stand on the street for a random survey – should Apple launch a foldable iPhone – you’ll return with replies in the affirmative more often than expected. The foldable phone market has matured since the niggly launches of Samsung’s first foldable and the Motorola Razr. Phones unveiled in 2020 have less fragile displays, bendable screens do not cringe, hinges are better sealed against dust and water, and the handsets are working their way up to be as durable as our regular smartphones.
Smartphones have evolved a fair bit with regard to screen real estate – the bezels are as thin as they can get, front-facing cameras are no more a hindrance with under-display camera tech, and the display quality has gone through the roof in the last couple of years. Still, there is a lot more to be desired when we see the unique form factor of a foldable device or a rollable phone that’s eye-popping. So, what smartphone will be the most trusted design in terms of its display technology in a couple of years? Let’s find out.
Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro, like its brothers in the new line-up and the ones in the past years, has created a new allegiance with fanboys. This particular iPhone is not at the extreme ends of the range – but is one of the iPhone’s you should be buying for its appealing design, LiDAR and telephoto upgrade, Dolby Vision HDR recording, stainless steel frame, and 5G capability at a competitive price tag. The iPhone 12 Pro is not just pushing boundaries with its captivating design but is also proving its mettle in testing waters.
Smartphones will come and go but only a few will leave their mark when remembered years down the line. Although coronavirus pandemic disrupted virtually everything on this planet, that didn’t hold back smartphone makers from experimenting with mainstream phone designs that shout out loud thanks to their unique look and functionality. Putting together a form factor that’s not only distinct but also functional in more ways than one is an art, and a few smartphones in 2020 are a testimony to that fact. Here’s a rundown of the best-designed phones we came across this year – ones that captured the interest of the mainstream industry unprecedentedly.